Little Nun with a Big Heart - Insights From a Motivational Speaker
Motivational speakers need stories that move audiences.
Here's one of my personal stories from my archive.
ahh, she’s such a sweetie, she fills me with joy
she’s only this high
but she’s got a heart this big
which is handy
cause she likes a challenge.
so when the church had to replace
a retiring outback priest
Sister Anne Maree stepped up to the plate
What I haven’t mentioned is
the priest flew everywhere in his own small plane
he was a flying outback priest
let’s put this in perspective
the Australian Outback is a landscape
where the outstanding geographic feature is the horizon
his dioceses was the size of the United Kingdom
now the United Kingdom has 60 million people,
his patch of ground he was flying over has 1,500 people
so crashing the plane is one thing,
someone finding you, well that’s a different story.
but Sister Anne Maree was willing to take the risk
she understood the importance of this work
of giving companionship to the women
who live on remote cattle stations
she listened to their
joys and sorrows and hopes and dreams
and felt their pain
which is something she took a bit too literally
When I met her she’d just come back
after a six month rest
recovering from a freak accident
She was on a cattle station
helping to lay irrigation pipe
She was on the back of a pickup truck
holding onto rolls of black irrigation pipe
which are as thick as your forearm
one end of the pipe was overhanging the truck
they went through a tight gate
the end of the pipe caught the fencepost
bent back
and recoiled whacking her straight in the face
and sent her little sparrow like body flying through the air
broken bones in her face
major surgery
battle scars
stitch marks
but still
her face glowed with hope
She could clearly take what life threw at her
she was tough
Summary:
Sister Anne Maree Jensen, a petite yet determined nun, demonstrated incredible self-discipline and courage when she volunteered to replace a retiring outback priest who flew a small plane to serve remote communities. Her new diocese in the Australian Outback was as large as the United Kingdom, but with only 1,500 people spread over vast, isolated areas. Despite the dangers of flying and navigating such a treacherous environment, she understood the importance of her mission—to offer support and companionship to women on distant cattle stations. After a freak accident involving an irrigation pipe left her with severe facial injuries and broken bones, she recovered with hope still shining through her scars, showing her resilience and toughness.
Lessons Learned:
- No task is too small to make a difference: Even one person in a vast landscape can provide essential support and connection to those in need.
- Courage in the face of adversity: Sister Anne Maree showed that being small in stature doesn’t mean you can’t take on great challenges.
- Selflessness and dedication: She embraced the risks of flying and physical labor to serve remote communities.
- Resilience after setbacks: Her recovery after a serious accident demonstrated her physical and emotional strength, as she continued her work with hope and determination.
- Compassion in leadership: She listened to the joys, sorrows, and dreams of those she served, embodying true compassion in her mission.
